ryan’s forecast

The list of notables to be afflicted with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is pretty staggering; Stephen Hawking, Huddie William “Leadbelly” Ledbetter, Charles Mingus and, most famously, baseball legend Lou Gehrig, just to name a few. You may recall the piece that our own Jordan Green wrote only a couple of weeks ago in these pages on outstanding bassist and local music lynchpin Tim LaFollette and his fight against ALS, a debilitating neuro-muscular disease. One of those bands that Green referenced was old Greensboro staple Kudzu Wish (www.myspace.com/ kudzuwish), a melting pot of wholly indefinable punk, rock and post-hardcore that ended their run in 2005, but have since played an occasional reunion gig. Another of those shows comes this Friday at the Blind Tiger, which is, not coincidentally, a benefit for ALS research. LaFollette will also appear with his current primary act, Decoration Ghost (www.myspace.com/decorationghost), which shares a member with Kudzu Wish in Devender Sellers. It’s kind of a small miracle that Kudzu Wish is even doing this show after frontman and lyricist Adam Thorn was involved in a severe automobile accident in 2008, so get out and cheer loudly for these guys. The show is slated to begin at 10 p.m., and admission is a donation of $5 to $10.

reggae festival at The cat’s cradle

It’s nearing the middle of August already and with that, prime reggae season is rapidly expiring. What to do? Catch one of the last good reggae festivals of the summer, of course. The Cat’s Cradle has one of those with the Summer Reggae Fest 2009 on Friday, and though it’s not exactly outdoors in the sunshine as Jah intended reggae to be, it’s a good lineup nonetheless. Rooted in Ethiopia, but born in Durham, the brassy, highly rhythmic Dub Addis (www.dubaddis.com) headlines the evening with support from acclaimed steel drummer Mickey Mills (www.mickeymills.com) and his band Steel. The bill also includes Wilmington’s roots rockers the Give Thanks Band featuring Tony Dread (www.myspace.com/givethanksmusic) and dreaded turntablist I-Dread (www.myspace.com/ idreadvisions). Doors for the show open at 8:30 p.m. and the show is at 9 p.m. Tickets are only $8 in advance and $10 at the door.

nashville up-and-comer plays The flatiron

Here’s a Greensboro venue that I don’t give nearly enough love to with a pretty interesting show on tap. With his new album 26 Years, the Virginia-raised, Nashville-based Allen Thompson (www.allen-thompson.com) is still trying to carve out his own niche in the cradle of Americana. He’s also a self-avowed “huge dork when it comes to American music” and as such he’s drawn to music and writers who understand their past and respect it. Thompson’s says that his new album offers something more than the typical folksy, run-of-the-mill acoustic offering: “inviting melodies, lyrics charged by his resonant baritone and bracingly honest turns of phrase, and earthy acoustic arrangements evocative — but never derivative — of musical inspirations like the Band, Lucinda Williams, the Replacements and Jimmie Rodgers.” Thompson will be playing the Flatiron this Saturday with local quartet Our Horse Jethro (www.myspace.com/ourhorsejethro), an interesting, if slightly unconventional act that sometimes spans the chasm between beautiful harmonies and piercing cackles. Eating the Invaders also perform (www.myspace.com/eatingtheinvaders). Showtime is at 9 p.m. and there’s a $5 cover.